tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post3332548904527862128..comments2023-12-25T00:38:19.500-08:00Comments on Finding Wonderland: The WritingYA Weblog (archive): Craigslist: not just for jobs, but adventure, apparentlySarah Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16534942492714970282noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-31430690939499338392011-01-19T02:29:09.146-08:002011-01-19T02:29:09.146-08:00I was attempting to point out the non-obvious issu...I was attempting to point out the non-obvious issues with an author on Craigslist soliciting reviews - in the JOB section, with payment offered... <br /><br />I have a feeling that for the most part, reviews are useless anyway. Do you trust the word of random bloggers? Do you trust print reviews more simply because they're in print? Or do you most of the time take book recommendations from word-of-mouth, "my best friend just read this and says it's great" types of things? <br /><br />And the idea of "reviewers who like everything" brings up again the specter of blog reviewers who never say anything negative -- and the question of whether or not, or how much we bloggers tend to pander.<br /><br />All good thoughts - uncomfortable ones, but good ones nonetheless.tanita✿davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01671822274852087499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-77608369259788802042011-01-18T16:30:33.042-08:002011-01-18T16:30:33.042-08:00Exactly, Gail. From a reader's perspective, an...Exactly, Gail. From a reader's perspective, an honest opinion from someone whose opinions I trust--because they have EARNED that trust through a thoughtful perspective--is a lot more valuable to me in choosing my reading material.Sarah Stevensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16534942492714970282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-3179884342142976532011-01-18T16:06:06.861-08:002011-01-18T16:06:06.861-08:00I'm looking at this from a totally different p...I'm looking at this from a totally different point of view. The guy's credentials and whether or not I should be paid for my writing aren't the big issues for me.<br /><br />For me, the issue is: If producers (publishers/authors/agents) paying reviewers directly for reviews were to become a standard practice, it would make reviewing meaningless. Even with the system we have now, of the review publication paying the reviewers instead of the producers doing so, I wonder if it isn't in reviewers' best interests to write so-called positive reviews. They are the bulk of what I see in journals and if it's what journals publish, aren't they going to prefer reviewers who write them? Aren't reviewers who like everything going to get more work than reviewers who don't?<br /><br />If producers pay for reviews, you can be sure we'll be seeing far more positive reviews, no matter what the book is like. The people writing the checks are going to seek out reviewers who like everything in order to get the most bang for their buck. And even if they inadvertantly end up paying for a less than glowing review, they don't have to use it. We don't use less than glowing quotes from reviews at our websites, do we? And we don't even pay for those. At least, most of us don't.<br /><br />When all books are well-reviewed, well-reviewed doesn't mean anything. It will make choosing books that much more difficult for readers.Gail Gauthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673131515563387968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-56138610735763060072011-01-16T08:52:17.051-08:002011-01-16T08:52:17.051-08:00Whaaat?<b>Whaaat?</b>C. K. Kelly Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03152997234365905131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-79460740634647224082011-01-15T20:06:10.208-08:002011-01-15T20:06:10.208-08:00Halfway through this I couldn't help but think...Halfway through this I couldn't help but think Editorial Anonymous is going to love this. <br /><br />You know this person is going to make this a required text for their students.Dorethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08676911030014718403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10890387.post-29480241678081965792011-01-15T14:52:48.645-08:002011-01-15T14:52:48.645-08:00FYI, It's the James Frey, not Patterson, writi...FYI, It's the James Frey, not Patterson, writing mill. Just sayin'.Brian F.http://www.brianfarreybooks.com/wordpressnoreply@blogger.com